The car business is changing at a rapid rate, due in no small part to more technology integration. Companies like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are all vying for control over the car business, reasoning that people are in cars, desiring of services, and with their networks, they can provide it. For years, T-Mobile and AT&T have made their play for the car industry by partnering with carmakers and delivering in-car Wi-Fi. T-Mobile, for instance, provides in-car Wi-Fi for Audi, allowing users who want to pay each month the ability to have a built-in Wi-Fi experience from within their vehicle. AT&T offers similar options with its own contracts with carmakers.

What do you remember about 1997? I remember a time before the iPhone or iPad, a period when the Internet boom was in full swing, and computer shows were a key part of my life. I also remember a video game that changed my opinion of role-playing games forever: Final Fantasy VII. Back then, the game was a monster hit and today, it lives on in my heart (and the hearts of millions around the globe) as one of the best RPGs to ever grace the PlayStation. Final Fantasy VII is without exaggeration, a masterpiece.

I’ve gone back and forth over the last several weeks trying to decide whether an Apple Watch was for me. After all, I’m not so sure that wearables really are the next big thing like so many others argue and I’m convinced that they need to change dramatically in order to provide a real competition to traditional watches.

Virtual reality was all the talk at the Game Developers Conference this week. From Sony to Valve to Oculus to Sulon, a slew of companies showed off virtual reality technology that they say, will carry us well into the future.

Of course, this is something we’ve heard before from hardware makers. Oculus has shown its Rift product off for years, arguing that it can succeed in virtual reality where so many other companies have failed. Now several other companies are arguing the same.

I’m often asked who I think could be the biggest game-changer in the world of technology in the next decade. Often, people share their opinions on the matter, saying that it’ll be Apple or Google or even Microsoft. They argue that companies – not individuals – will ultimately be the change agents going forward. While I can certainly agree that major companies will likely play a major role in industry growth, I see things a much different way. I still believe that individuals can change the world in dramatic fashion, and the person who has the highest likelihood of doing that right now is Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

It’s hard to imagine a world without Nintendo, but many years ago, it could have happened if things went differently. I just finished reading an outstanding book by Blake J. Harris, called "Console Wars." The book tells the tale of the battle for dominance in gaming between Sega and Nintendo and in the early-1990s and discusses how the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) took on the Sega Genesis. Much of the story tells the tale of Sega’s growth in the US and Nintendo’s shock at losing massive amounts of market share. But it also talks about Sega’s issues and briefly touches on the company’s eventual downfall in hardware.

As a longtime gamer, I’ve seen the ups and downs that befall even the greatest of video game companies. I’ve watched companies like SEGA and Nintendo rise and fall, I’ve watched Sony take a few missteps, and I’ve watched Microsoft become an important player in today’s marketplace. At the risk of dating myself, I even remember the good ol’ days of Atari rising and falling and an odd device named the 3DO failing to captivate gamers (well, besides me, who still finds time to play it from time to time).

I’ve completed the campaign, I’ve played online, and I’ve shot just about every weapon the game has to offer. And I can say unequivocally that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare brings the franchise back to a place of prominence and esteem it lost in recent years. For everyone who left the Call of Duty franchise over the awfulness that was Ghosts, Advanced Warfare has atoned for those sins and then some.

Nokia’s mobile brand is officially dead. After Microsoft bought the company, it took only months for it to decide that using the Nokia brand meant little and it could walk away from it without offending too many customers or worrying about losing market share. It was an historic moment, but it was a necessary one in Microsoft’s mind, and it was perhaps an end of era in the industry.

As a self-proclaimed tablet addict, it’s easy for me to look at Apple’s recent announcement of the iPad Air 2 and get excited. After all, for a long time I’ve bought Apple’s slates (among others) and found some value in them each step of the way. I enjoy using my iPad mini on the road, but love to have the iPad Air in a bag when I’m traveling. Apple, Amazon, and Samsung have found a way to deliver great tablets that scratch an itch without too much trouble.

Microsoft last week unveiled the long-awaited Windows 10. Well, it was long-awaited for those corporate customers suffering under the weight of Windows 8. But for the rest of us? Well, I’m not sure we really cared. I remember a time when Windows launches were big things. Back in the 1990s and even early-2000s, whenever Microsoft would hold a special event announcing the new Windows and showing it off, we’d be drooling over the possibilities.

If you recall my last column here on SlashGear, you’ll remember that I lamented the fact that I was unable to reserve an iPhone 6 Plus on launch day due to overwhelming demand before I even had a chance to wake up. I was concerned that Apple has essentially created a preordering system that puts people on the East coast out and leaves those of us over here with a more difficult chance to get the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.